Hilltop Neighborhood, Tacoma, Washington

The Hilltop Neighborhood is a historically African American neighborhood in the Tacoma, Washington [http://www.cityoftacoma.org/Page.aspx?nid=11 Central District] . Hilltop's approximate boundaries are 6th Avenue in the north, 25th Street in the south, Yakima Avenue in the east, and Sprague Avenue in the west. It derives its name from its location on a high bluff overlooking Commencement Bay and the Port of Tacoma.

Hilltop is near the historic Tacoma Library main branch, Bates Technical College, the Pierce County Courthouse, and the new Pierce County Correctional Facility, all of which are located on Hilltop's east side. It is adjoined by Tacoma's more affluent Stadium District.

Hilltop was notorious in the late 1980s and early 1990s for drug-related gang activity, most notably related to the infamous Hilltop Crips. The word "Hilltop" became synonymous specifically with Tacoma's gang problems, and more generally with urban pathologies associated with the US's Crack Epidemic.

Since the mid-1990s, neighborhood watch efforts, increased police presence, commercial real estate development efforts along Martin Luther King Way, and rising real estate values in all areas adjoining downtown Tacoma have served to lower the amount of crime in Hilltop. [ [http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/news/business/washecon2002/tacoma.html The Seattle Times: Washington's Bruised Economy ] ]

The neighborhood's population is 13,038 and remains racially diverse. 42% of residents are White or Caucasian, 31% Black or African-American, 10% Asian, 3% Native American, 1% Pacific Islander, 3% from other races, and 8% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 7% of the population. 32% of residents were below poverty line.Fact|date=March 2007

In 2007 the Tacoma City Council adopted new official boundaries for Downtown Tacoma which includes a portion of the Hilltop neighborhood as far west as South L Street.

New Businesses

Recently, new restaurant have appeared on Hilltop such as the [http://themonsoonroom.com/ Monsoon Room] and the [http://www.tempestlounge.com/ Tempest Lounge] .

External links

* [http://www.tempestlounge.com/hilltop.pdf Hilltop Restaurants and Businesses]
* [http://www.nr.nps.gov/multiples/64500701.pdf National Register of Historic Places Multiple Property Documentation Form: Historic Resources of the Hilltop Neighborhood]

References

Foot Notes

*"Booze ban has fans in Tacoma", Seattle Times article describing Hilltop's actions against public drunkenness. [http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2003092807_alcohol29m.html]

*" 'Original gangster' looks back with regret", Tacoma News Tribune (TNT) feature chronicling the rise and fall of Diamond Boyd, founder of the Hilltop Crips. [http://www.thenewstribune.com/news/local/story/5974063p-5252742c.html]

*"Man shot on Hilltop, expected to survive", July 2006 TNT news article. [http://www.thenewstribune.com/news/updates/story/5992187p-5266448c.html]

*"Council likely to pass Zones to fight crime", August 2006 TNT article mentioning Hilltop's inclusion in a proposed law enforcement zone targeting drug and prostitution crimes. [http://www.thenewstribune.com/news/local/story/5993894p-5267656c.html]

*"List of Nation’s Top Emerging Gay Ghettos Announced" This 2006 list rated Hilltop as one of four emerging gay ghettos in the western section of the country. [http://www.247gay.com/article.cfm?section=66&id=11736]